Hardcore Taekwondo

I'd love some feedback from any Taekwondo practicioners on this one...

I've got my Dad visiting from Australia at the moment and because I've recently taken up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, we've spent a bit of time talking about Martial Arts. I guess my Dad is what you'd call an 'old-school' Taekwondo practitioner who's been regaling me over the last few days with his war stories.

But I'm beginning to wonder if the style of Taekwondo my Dad did (in the late 70's to early 80's) even exists any more. For instance, in his old Dojang, guys actually kicked each other. Pretty hard sometimes. I remember visiting him in the hospital a bit as a kid and I remember one grading he took me too where a guy got his leg broken.

It seems like a totally different version of Taekwondo to the version I've seen, heard about and the lessons I took at a McDojang as a kid. I'm wondering if there's a particular style of Taekwondo that is to TKD (I'm guessing there must be in Korea somewhere?) what Kyokushin is to other styles of Karate, or if Dad's instructor was just a ruthless sadist?

I've got nothing against Taekwondo (any way you cut it, the Axe Kick rocks) as a style, but I abhor how it's been watered down, stripped of any 'danger' element and packaged for Soccer Mums and their kids.

I apologize in advance if this topic is too stupid, even for YMAS. I did my best.

That's it, I trained in it because we did hard sparring, competed in Kyokushin and similar style tournaments and trained, in my view, realistically.

I loved it, stuck with it for 5 years and missed a handful of classes in that time. They do exist but WTF and ITF do a lot better then clubs like the one I went too. It's a shame but at the same time, they do better marketting, have more exposure and my instructor rarely advertised (apart from a flyer at some certain stores around my town).

If I didn't move away from that town to where I am now, I would still be there training my arse off. As it stands I took up the style that I felt was similar to that, Kyokushin, it's just as good and I train twice as much :)

Another good question is "Did these arts ever produce effective fighters?", but of course there's records of so-and-so beating the **** out of any takers on the Lei Tai or in the ring. So why'd the practices that lead to such success dissapear?

So, we come to how this is relevant to your thread: Was TKD ever effective? Why did it stop being so?

Errant seems to know a fair bit about KMA. Maybe he'd pop his nose in and be all informative.

Last edited by socratic; 5/27/2008 7:36am at .

Lord Krishna said: I am terrible time the destroyer of all beings in all worlds, engaged to destroy all beings in this world; Of those heroic soldiers presently situated in the opposing army, even without you none will be spared.Bhagavad Gita 11:32

Political corruption in South Korea & Juche in North Korea. With the possible exception of the PRC's wushu (which at least has sanda), no martial art has been as royally assfucked by a government as Taegwondo was. It was literally a tool for two governments to prop up their policies. Masters on both sides have been pawns in political games for decades, received death threats, late night visits by men in black suits, & even assassination attempts.

Not the most practical or effective of martial arts. I appreciate the athleticism of TKD but would not advise it for self defense or fighting. I don't care how hard they are willing to kick each other, TKD is missing a lot and no matter how "hardcore" a place is you will not get the best self defense or fighting skills. if your set on dong TKD just remmebr no matter what they do or say keep ur damn hands up.

Also, a question for someone who knows more about Chinese history than me, when whitey fucked up the Society of Right and Harmonious Fists, was that when alot of the MA died out there, or did it have more to do with the communist revolution?